Secret US-equipped ‘Dirty Brigade’ in Iraq forefront 26 Jun 2009 Iraqi security services employ an elite, American-trained force [death squad] with a reputation that leads many Iraqis to call it “the dirty brigade.” Its real name is the Counter Terrorism Bureau. The elite units, armed with high-tech U.S.-made equipment, often pair up with American special forces to go after Iraq’s foes. Formed soon after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, the force became known as the “Dirty Brigade” because it was secretive and until recently operated outside the Iraqi chain of command, reporting directly to its U.S. handlers. The little-known group was rumored to be used against the government’s opponents in the political mainstream_ a charge denied by the Iraqis and the Americans. The group is reported to have doubled in size to about 9,000 members and now reports directly to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
Did toxic chemical in Iraq sicken GIs? 27 Jun 2009 …What these three men — one sick, one dying, one dead — had in common is they were National Guard soldiers on the same stretch of desert in Iraq during the early months of the war in 2003. These soldiers and hundreds of other Guard members from Indiana, Oregon and West Virginia were protecting workers hired by a subsidiary of the giant contractor, KBR Inc., to rebuild an Iraqi water treatment plant. The area, as it turned out, was contaminated with hexavalent chromium, a potent, sometimes deadly chemical linked to cancer and other devastating diseases.
Ministry of Defence blocks Wikileaks –Whistleblower site made off-limits to personnel after publishing operations manuals used by troops 25 Jun 2009 The Ministry of Defence is trying to block all internet access to the whistleblowing site Wikileaks from thousands of its own computers after discovering that dissidents have been using it to leak copies of British military manuals. Newly obtained MoD emails reveal alarm over the discovery that Wikileaks is freely publishing manuals that are used by patrols in Iraq. One email says: “There are thousands of things on here, I literally mean thousands. Not just UK MoD but other places as well. Everything I clicked on to do with MoD was ‘restricted’ … It is huge.” [Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!] Dismay was sparked by the discovery that Wikileaks had posted copies of a 2007 manual on UK tactics for Iraq and Afghanistan, and ahandbook on Istar (intelligence surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance) on its website. [Well, have a nice dish of dismay!]
US wants to [again] delay release of CIA report 26 Jun 2009 The U.S. government wants to wait until next week [LOL, during the July 4 holiday, when no one is paying attention] to give the American Civil Liberties Union a 5-year old internal CIA report that criticizes its harsh interrogation torture program. On Friday, the Justice Department asked a federal judge to allow the release of the report to be delayed until Wednesday — two weeks since it was first expected. The government is struggling over how much of the classified CIA inspector general’s report should be made public.
Delay in Releasing CIA Report Is Sought 20 Jun 2009 The Justice Department needs a week to complete its review of a 2004 CIA inspector general’s report before releasing it in redacted form to civil liberties advocates, officials said yesterday. Government lawyers notified the American Civil Liberties Union of the delay yesterday afternoon, citing a longer-than-expected review process at the CIA. Activists requested the report as part of a longstanding Freedom of Information Act lawsuit focusing on the U.S. government’s detention and treatment of terrorism suspects after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
US counterintel chief to be replaced 26 Jun 2009 The U.S. official in charge of catching foreign spies and foiling their plots is leaving his post on July 4. National Intelligence Director Dennis Blair announced the departure of Joel Brenner, the national counterintelligence executive for the last three years, in a message to employees sent Friday.
Administration considering executive order authorizing president to incarcerate terrorism suspects indefinitely 27 Jun 2009 The Obama administration is considering forgoing legislation and issuing an executive order that would authorize the president to incarcerate some terrorism suspects indefinitely, White House officials said Friday. Such an order would be controversial — seemingly aligning the administration with a disputed legal doctrine of former President [sic] George W. Bush, whose lawyers held that the president had sweeping authority in wartime to imprison those he deemed threats to national security. Obama officials sought to play down the significance of the discussions by an administration panel… They said that lawyers had not written a specific proposal and that nothing had been submitted to the White House for review by senior officials.
Under cover of the Friday afternoon Obama Administration civil liberties/environmental ‘bad news’ dump: White House Drafts Executive Order to Allow Indefinite Detention of Terror Suspects –Friday 26 Jun 2009 5:18 PM The Obama administration, fearing a battle with Congress that could stall plans to close Guantanamo, has drafted an executive order that would reassert presidential authority to incarcerate terrorism suspects indefinitely, according to three senior government officials with knowledge of White House deliberations. Such an order would embrace claims by former president [sic] George W. Bush that certain people can be detained without trialfor long periods under the laws of war. Under one White House draft that was being discussed earlier this month, according to administration officials, detainees would be imprisoned at a military facility on U.S. soil but their ongoing detention would be subject to annual presidential review. U.S. citizens would not be held in the system.
US sends 10,000 troops to an Afghan opium hub 27 Jun 2009 A new wave of US troops has arrived in Helmand, an opium-growing southern province where the foreign troops in Afghanistan have lost several grounds to the Taliban in recent months. According to the US Army, the troops are tasked with improving the order ahead of the August 20 presidential vote as well as fighting the ‘insurgents’ with widespread power in the province.
Ahmadinejad warns Obama over interference 27 Jun 2009 Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has criticized his American counterpart anew, saying Barack Obama’s stance on Iran’s post-election protests has jeopardized his change-seeking posture. Addressing a group of judiciary officials on Saturday, President Ahmadinejad questioned President Obama’s objective in making what he described as interfering remarks about the current political situation in Iran.
Iran’s Ahmadinejad compares Obama to Bush 25 Jun 2009 President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused Barack Obama on Thursday of behaving like his predecessor towards Iran and said there was not much point in talking to Washington unless the U.S. president apologised. Obama said on Tuesday he was “appalled and outraged” by a post-election crackdown and Washington withdrew invitations to Iranian diplomats to attend Independence Day celebrations on July 4. “Mr Obama made a mistake to say those things … our question is why he fell into this trap and said things that previously (former president [sic] George W.) Bush used to say,” the semi-official Fars News Agency quoted Ahmadinejad as saying. [Obama doesn't just 'say' things Bush used to say: He *does* things Bush used to *do.* --LRP]
US State funds covert Israeli linked Iran Visual News Corp aka Peyman Online 2007 (WikiLeaks) 12 Apr 2008 This file provides budgetary information regarding a specific covert new media initiative funded by the US State Department that targets Iran. This document was leaked because the man who is in charge of the initiative has strong ties to Israeli Intelligence and subcontracts portions of the work to Israeli intel fronts such as MEMRI using US tax dollars. It is currently not known if this project is still being funded by the US State Department. [Well, we should call/e-mail and ask. Grants Administrator: Ann Perrelli, 202-776-8545, . Recipient's Administrator: Avi Davidi, 202-374-3420, .]
CIA has Distributed 400 Million Dollars Inside Iran to Evoke a Revolution 18 Jun 2009 Former Pakistani Army General Mirza Aslam Beig claims the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has distributed 400 million dollars inside Iran to evoke a revolution. In a phone interview with the Pashto Radio on Monday, General Beig said that there is undisputed intelligence proving the US interference in Iran. “The documents prove that the CIA spent 400 million dollars inside Iran to prop up a colorful-hollow revolution following the election,” he added. Pakistan’s former army chief of joint staff went on to say that the US wanted to disturb the situation in Iran and bring to power a pro-US government.
Iranian envoy: CIA involved in Neda’s shooting? 26 Jun 2009 The United States may have been behind the killing of Neda Agha-Soltan, the Iranian woman whose fatal videotaped shooting Saturday made her a symbol of opposition to the June 12 presidential election results, the country’s ambassador to Mexico said Thursday. “This death of Neda is very suspicious,” Ambassador Mohammad Hassan Ghadiri said. “My question is, how is it that this Miss Neda is shot from behind, got shot in front of several cameras, and is shot in an area where no significant demonstration was behind held?” He suggested that the CIA or another intelligence service may have been responsible. Though the video appeared to show that she had been shot in the chest, Ghadiri said that the bullet was found in her head and that it was not of a type used in Iran. “These are the methods that terrorists, the CIA and spy agencies employ,” he said.
U.S. denied Iran official visa for U.N. meeting: envoy 26 Jun 2009 Tehran’s U.N. envoy on Friday accused the United States of denying Iran’s first vice president and members of his delegation visas to attend a three-day U.N. conference on the global financial crisis. “I am indeed delivering this speech on behalf of Dr. (Parviz) Davoudi, first vice president of the Islamic Republic of Iran, who along with members of the Iranian delegation was not able to participate in the conference,” Iranian U.N. Ambassador Mohammad Khazaee told the U.N. General Assembly. “Their entry visas were not issued by the host country,” he added, referring to the United States.
Israeli troops raid peaceful anti-wall protest 27 Jun 2009 Israeli soldiers have attacked dozens of Palestinian and international peace activists protesting against the ‘Apartheid Wall’ in the West Bank. Israeli forces attacked Palestinian villagers along with their international and Israeli peace supporters during the weekly non-violent protest against the wall in Ni’lin and Bil’in villages, near the central West Bank city of Ramallah, on Friday.
A Journalist Beaten — One Year Later By Mohammed Omer 29 Jun 2009 June 26, 2008 is a day I will never forget… That day I was detained, interrogated, strip searched, and tortured while attempting to return home from a European speaking tour… I want to address the denials from Israel and the inaccurate reporting by a few journalists in addition to requesting state of Israel to acknowledge what it did to me, prosecute the members of the Shin Bet responsible for it and put in place procedures that protect other journalists from such treatment.
Murdoch sued: Ecuador to sue WSJ over FARC allegations 26 Jun 2009 Ecuador’s President Rafael Correa has vowed to sue the Wall Street Journal for linking his government to the Colombian FARC rebels. “We will sue this newspaper because we are sick of their lies,” Correa told reporters on Thursday after addressing the UN General Assembly’s Conference on the world financial crisis, Reuters reported. “We demand theWall Street Journal provide proof,” he said, dismissing the journal’s accusations that he is affiliated with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
Members of U.S. House Financial Services Committee snapped up or dumped bank stocks as bottom fell out of market 25 Jun 2009 As financial markets tumbled and the government worked to stave off panic by pumping billions of dollars into banks last fall, several members of Congress who oversee the banking industry were grabbing up or dumping bank stocks. Anticipating bargains or profits or just trying to unload before the bottom fell out, these members of the House Financial Services Committee or brokers on their behalf were buying and selling stocks including Bank of America and Citigroup — some of the very corporations their committee would later rap for greed, a Plain Dealer examination of congressional stock market transactions shows.
Historic climate bill passes House in a close vote 26 Jun 2009 By a narrow margin, the House of Representatives on Friday took the first legislative step in U.S. history to reduce the heat-trapping gases building up in the atmosphere and gradually shift America to cleaner sources of energy. With strong pressure from President Barack Obama to move ahead on one of his priorities and over the strong objections from Republicans and some Democrats, the House voted 219 to 212.
Brazil approves controversial land tenure law 26 Jun 2009 President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has approved a law that could legalize landholdings by some 1 million squatters occupying a Texas-sized chunk of the Amazon rain forest, despite environmentalist fears it will accelerate deforestation. The law, approved late Thursday night, affects 260,233 square miles (67.4 million hectares) of federally owned land that for decades has been illegally occupied — mostly by small farmers, but also by large property holders and loggers.
CLG: CIA Crucified Captive In Abu Ghraib Prison –’No criminal charges have ever been brought against any C.I.A. officer involved in the torture program.’ By Sherwood Ross 28 Jun 2009 The Central Intelligence Agency crucified a prisoner in Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad, according to a report published in The New Yorkermagazine. “A forensic examiner found that he (the prisoner) had essentially been crucified; he died from asphyxiation after having been hung by his arms, in a hood, and suffering broken ribs,” the magazine’s Jane Mayer writes in the magazine’s June 22nd issue. “Military pathologists classified the case a homicide.”
Obama issues signing statement on $106B war bill 26 Jun 2009 President Obama signed the $106 billion war-spending bill into law Friday, but not without taking a page from his predecessor and ignoring a few elements in the legislation. Obama included a five-paragraph signing statement with the bill, including a final paragraph that outlined his objections to at least four areas of the bill. President [sic] George W. Bush was heavily criticized for his use of signing statements, declaring he’d ignore some elements of legislation by invoking presidential prerogative. The Obama administration announced in the statement it would disregard provisions of the legislation that, among other things, would compel the Obama administration to pressure the World Bank to strengthen labor and environmental standards and require the Treasury department to report to Congress on the activities of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The Coalition of the Bribed, on steroids: U.S. Senate approves bill to triple aid to Pakistan 24 Jun 2009 The Senate on Wednesday approved tripling U.S. aid to Pakistan to about $1.5 billion a year for each of the next five years, part of an American plan to fight foment extremism with economic development killer drone attacks. The $1.5 billion in annual funding includes money for Pakistani schools, the ‘judicial system,’ parliament and law enforcement agencies. “This legislation marks an important step toward sustained economic and political cooperation with Pakistan,” said Senator Richard Lugar, the senior Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. [*WHAT the f*ck?* WHY are US taxpayers paying for schools in Pakistan? I realize this is Obusha's Coalition of the Bribed on steroids, but WHY isn't that money used here? DICK Lugar, a GOP a**wipe (one of many) wouldn't vote to spend *two cents* to build a school in the US if God himself commanded it! If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention. --LRP]
Obama to fund anti-govt. elements in Iran: Report 28 Jun 2009 US President Barack Obama is re-branding a Bush-era plan to fund anti-government Iran-based elements through domestic and foreign entities, a report says. The Obama White House has apparently refused to act on the former administration’s decision to allocate USD 66 million to Iranian dissidents, devising a new approach instead, USA TODAY reported on Friday. Citing ‘security concerns’, the State Department and the foreign policy agent declined to name the recipients of the funds.
USAID soliciting applications for $20 million in grants to destablize Iran 26 Jun 2009 The Obama administration is moving forward with plans to fund groups that support Iranian dissidents, records and interviews show, continuing a program that became controversial when it was expanded by President [sic] Bush. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which reports to the secretary of state, has for the last year been soliciting applications for $20 million in grants to “promote democracy, human rights, and the rule of law in Iran,” according to documents on the agency’s website. The final deadline for grant applications is June 30. U.S. efforts to support Iranian opposition groups have been criticized in recent years as veiled attempts to promote “regime change,” said Trita Parsi, president of the National Iranian American Council, the largest Iranian-American advocacy group.
US State funds covert Israeli linked Iran Visual News Corp aka Peyman Online 2007 (WikiLeaks) 12 Apr 2008 This file provides budgetary information regarding a specific covert new media initiative funded by the US State Department that targets Iran. This document was leaked because the man who is in charge of the initiative has strong ties to Israeli Intelligence and subcontracts portions of the work to Israeli intel fronts such as MEMRI using US tax dollars. It is currently not known if this project is still being funded by the US State Department. [Apparently, it *is.* Grants Administrator: Ann Perrelli, 202-776-8545, . Recipient's Administrator: Avi Davidi, 202-374-3420, .]
CIA has Distributed 400 Million Dollars Inside Iran to Evoke a Revolution 18 Jun 2009 Former Pakistani Army General Mirza Aslam Beig claims the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has distributed 400 million dollars inside Iran to evoke a revolution. In a phone interview with the Pashto Radio on Monday, General Beig said that there is undisputed intelligence proving the US interference in Iran. “The documents prove that the CIA spent 400 million dollars inside Iran to prop up a colorful-hollow revolution following the election,” he added. Pakistan’s former army chief of joint staff went on to say that the US wanted to disturb the situation in Iran and bring to power a pro-US government.
Iran accuses CIA of killing protester 28 Jun 2009 Iran is accusing the United States of being behind the killing of Neda Agha-Soltan, the 26-year-old Iranian woman whose fatal videotaped shooting made her a symbol of opposition to the disputed June 12 presidential election results. Iranian Ambassador to Mexico Mohammad Hassan Ghadiri made this accusation on Saturday night in an interview to the CNN television network. He denied that the young woman was killed by Iranian security forces and suggested that the CIA or another intelligence service may have been responsible.
Gaza war crimes hearing under way 28 Jun 2009 A public hearing organised by a UN team investigating alleged war crimes by Israel and Hamas during the Gaza war is under way. As part of its investigations into the December 2008-January 2009 Gaza conflict, the UN fact-finding mission will listen to testimony from victims of the conflict for two days in Gaza City and hold a second round of public hearings on July 6 and July 7 in Geneva.
UN General Assembly president slams Honduras coup 29 Jun 2009 The president of the UN General Assembly, Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann, has strongly condemned the army coup that deposed President Manuel Zelaya in Honduras. D’Escoto “firmly and categorically condemns the criminal action by the army in the Republic of Honduras that has broken the constitutional order by carrying out a coup d’etat against President Manuel Zelaya,” his office said in a statement yesterday.
Chavez: CIA Behind Coup in Honduras 28 Jun 2009 Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez requested Sunday that US President Barack Obama, to be pronounced against the military coup in Honduras, which he considered is carried out with the participation of the Central Intelligence Agency. In statements to television channel Telesur, Chavez stated that he rejected the coup “right from its bone marrow” and asked the Honduran military troops not to face the people that went out to the streets to request the return of President Manuel Zelaya. “The United States has a lot to do with this, Obama should be pronounced to reject the coup right from the marrow,”the Venezuelan leader stated.
Obama’s First Coup D’etat –President Zelaya of Honduras has just been kidnapped –As of 11:15am, Caracas time, President Zelaya is speaking live on Telesur from San Jose, Costa Rica. He has verified the soldiers entered his residence in the early morning hours, firing guns and threatening to kill him and his family if he resisted the coup. He was forced to go with the soldiers who took him to the air base and flew him to Costa Rica. He has requested the U.S. Government make a public statement condemning the coup, otherwise, it will indicate their compliance.By Eva Golinger 28 Jun 2009 The text message that beeped on my cell phone this morning read “Alert, Zelaya has been kidnapped, coup d’etat underway in Honduras, spread the word.” It’s a rude awakening for a Sunday morning, especially for the millions of Hondurans that were preparing to exercise their sacred right to vote today for the first time on a consultative referendum concerning the future convening of a constitutional assembly to reform the constitution.
Strange Martial Law via Food Control: HR 2749 –Not what the American people ordered — HR 2749, martial law and the enslavement of their farmers By The Writers’ Collective 28 Jun 2009 HR 2749 is a strange bill in many ways. While the other “food safety” bills have been around since winter, allowing for much public discussion on the internet, HR 2749 has only suddenly appeared. It is a mutant conglomeration of the worst of the other bills, with the addition of one very original part – martial law… HR 2749 would empower FDA to regulate how crops are raised and harvested. It puts the federal government right on the farm, dictating to our farmers.
Quick action! HR 2749 is both insane and cruel. And the deceptiveness of hiding a Patriot Act in it and the brutal rush to slip it through Congress are ANTI-democratic. Go here to tell Congress, “No.”
Homeland Security Is Ordered to Respond to Petition on Immigration Jails 27 Jun 2009 Substandard and abusive conditions in immigration detention “are of the utmost importance,” a federal judge in Manhattan said Thursday, ruling that the Department of Homeland Security’s 2 ½-year delay in responding to a petition for legally enforceable regulations was “unreasonable as a matter of law.” The judge, Denny Chin of Federal District Court in Manhattan, ordered the Obama administration to grant or deny the petition asking for detention rules within 30 days. He denied the government’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit, filed last year by two former immigration detainees and two advocacy agencies, seeking to force a response.
‘Moonlighting’ MPs braced for embarrassing revelations: ‘One member runs an eco-cemetery and occasionally digs graves’ [<g>] 28 Jun 2009 MPs were facing intense scrutiny of their second jobs last night as the deadline loomed for them to declare details of “moonlighting”. Parliamentarians have been raking in extra cash doing everything from advising drinks firms to crofting, according to research by a Sunday newspaper. One MP, shadow transport minister Robert Goodwill, runs an eco-cemetery at his farm and occasionally digs graves.
Boehner: Climate bill a ‘pile of s–t’ 27 Jun 2009 Minority Leader John Boehner (R-sociopath-Ohio) had a few choice words about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) landmark climate-change bill after its passage Friday. When asked why he read portions of the cap-and-trade bill on the floor Friday night, Boehner told The Hill, “Hey, people deserve to know what’s in this pile of s–t.” [It takes one to know one.]
Gag me with a chainsaw! Obama could mull second stimulus if needed: adviser 28 Jun 2009 President Barack Obama could discuss a second stimulus package to boost the economy if needed, but at the moment no more new money looks necessary, a top White House adviser said on Sunday. “Much of the stimulus is yet to come, and let’s see how this works before talking about next steps,” senior adviser David Axelrod told NBC Television’s Meet the Press program.
Four banks fail, bringing 2009 tally to 44 26 Jun 2009 Four banks in Georgia, Minnesota and California were closed by regulators Friday, as the ongoing credit crisis continued to claim victims. Villa Rica, Ga.-based Community Bank of West Georgia and Newman, Ga.-based Neighborhood Community Bank were closed, as were Irvine, Calif.-based MetroPacific Bank and Pine City, Minn.-based Horizon Bank. The closures brought the national tally this year to 44, and marked the ninth so far in Georgia.
